MERGED: Communion Bread Questions

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tobbias88

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Can’t find an answer to this.

When did the thin round wafer become the accepted form of ‘bread’ to be consecrated in the Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Anglican Mass? I notice Baptists & Presbyterians use something that is still recognizably bread or loaf shaped. Orthodox and Copts use something similar.
Why was this change so universal and so acceptable? Was it scrupulosity about crumbs? To me the wafer looks nothing like bread, certain nothing like the Palestinian bread that Jesus would have used.
 
There have been a number of threads in this forum about the same issue. Two good examples are [thread=383239]here[/thread] and [thread=468744]here[/thread]. 🙂
 
The host as wafer can be made in volume. It is not the only acceptable form for communion. I have received communion with bread baked as a loaf. The first time was when I attended college run by Benedictine monks.
A young priest ordained in one of the parishes to which I belonged personally baked the loaves of bread that would be consecrated when he served Mass.
If you go on retreat at a monastery, do not be surprised when the bread that is consecrated is in loaf rather than wafer form.
 
DebChris said:
The host as wafer can be made in volume. It is not the only acceptable form for communion. I have received communion with bread baked as a loaf. The first time was when I attended college run by Benedictine monks.
A young priest ordained in one of the parishes to which I belonged personally baked the loaves of bread that would be consecrated when he served Mass.
If you go on retreat at a monastery, do not be surprised when the bread that is consecrated is in loaf rather than wafer form.
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True, don’t be surprised, but know in the Latin Rite it would be illicit since it certainly has yeast and probably other things that are illicit, e.g. honey, sugar, milk, fat, etc.
 
johnnykins said:
True, don’t be surprised, but know in the Latin Rite it would be illicit since it certainly has yeast and probably other things that are illicit, e.g. honey, sugar, milk, fat, etc.
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It has always been unleaven bread. No, it is not illicit. Again, the main places that the host has been in loaf rather than wafer form has been at abbeys and monasteries. The young priest who baked the unleaven bread for the parish did so as part of his prayerful preparation for the Mass.
This same priest, when transferred to another parish taught the students attending the parochial school to make rosaries.
 
johnnykins said:
True, don’t be surprised, but know in the Latin Rite it would be illicit since it certainly has yeast and probably other things that are illicit, e.g. honey, sugar, milk, fat, etc.
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You can still make unleavened bread in loaf form which is completely licit. I think Phemie here has shared in another thread bread she made for her parish.
 
I’ve been reading that in many monasteries a baked, unleavened loaf is used for Holy Communion and not the usual dry wafers that are more common place. I was wondering if anyone had a recipe that would be acceptable in the Latin Rite?
 
I’ve seen some rather odd pictures of priests attempting to consecrate bread that was definitely not either the thin wafer used as the host in the west or the little leavened cubes of the east. What kinds of bread can and cannot be validly consecrated?
 
MarcusAndreas said:
I’ve seen some rather odd pictures of priests attempting to consecrate bread that was definitely not either the thin wafer used as the host in the west or the little leavened cubes of the east. What kinds of bread can and cannot be validly consecrated?
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I’m pretty sure that it has to be unleavened bread made only from wheat flour and water. Possibly salt is allowed. I think that white flour is okay. It is so simple to make, I don’t know why anyone would want to complicate it.
 
As the question is phrased, any bread can be validly consecrated. It may not be licit but it’s valid. As long as the substance (what it is) is bread it will turn into the body, blood, soul and divinity of our LOrd.
 
Can bread that is made with milk, eggs and vanilla still be valid? I thought you had to have proper matter and form for a sacrament to be valid?
 
Bread made from wheat flour and water. Yeast may be present.

For the Roman Church.

If yeast is present then it is valid but illicit.
If yeast is not present then it is valid and illicit.

For the Byzantine Churches yeast must be present for licity and validity.
 
DSJJ said:
As the question is phrased, any bread can be validly consecrated. It may not be licit but it’s valid. As long as the substance (what it is) is bread it will turn into the body, blood, soul and divinity of our LOrd.
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Not so. See Canon 924, section 2 and Canon 926.

AMDG
jsa
 
RSD said:
I’m pretty sure that it has to be unleavened bread made only from wheat flour and water. Possibly salt is allowed. I think that white flour is okay. It is so simple to make, I don’t know why anyone would want to complicate it.
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Salt is NOT allowed. Wheat flour (must have some gluten content) and water only.
 
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